Review Detail

I had the audio version of this book.

I like the cover for this book, it's depiction of the two girls that are the same height but different hair color is spot on. The fact that this is a story that centers around the best friend of the kid with cancer and not the cancer patient herself was unique and I was looking forward to taking this journey with Zoe.

The narrator, Shannon McManus, does an excellent job of capturing the sarcastic teenage voice of Zoe, but she may have done too good of a job because I didn't like Zoe. At all. She came across selfish, snotty and pretty much treated anyone who wasn't Livi like they were beneath her somehow. I got that she and Livi were joined at the hip and she didn't feel the need to befriend anyone else, but even after everything goes downhill, she continues to use and abuse the people around her. I also understand that grief, even the stages we can experience while the person we love is still alive, makes you do stupid things. But the way Zoe spoke to and treated those who were offering her support made it very difficult for me to be sympathetic towards her.

Her relationship with Calvin didn't feel believable to me at all and while I was happy he made the choice he eventually did, it lacked the emotional punch I think the author was aiming for. There was a point where Zoe started to change and I was hoping my opinion of her follow suit, but then it ended and I was left frustrated. I wanted to see what Zoe was like in a year or so. I wanted to see if she'd changed enough for me to like her.

This might have been a better read for me if I had stuck to the physical book. Maybe hearing Zoe's voice in my own head would have made her less biting or nasty at times, but I can't be sure. Regardless, it was a good story about the bonds of friendship and how deep they run.